The present invention describes a writing instrument with a cylindrical or octagonal barrel to which a first layer of an adhesive is applied which secures the small glass, plastic, resin or foam beads, 0.1 mm or less in diameter, to the barrel. Alternatively, beads can be mixed into a clear plastic or acrylic substance which is formed into a cylindrical barrel through which the beads are visible, said barrel also housing the writing instrument This invention presents a novel approach to creating decorative writing instrument barrels while providing a necessary writing function.
Presently there are a variety of textured writing instruments. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,067 (Beck et al) describes a writing instrument wherein small knobs or lumps called nubs are formed by applying to the writing Instrument an initially flowable plastic composition that later solidifies to form the raised structures. This is distinctly different from using preformed or pre-existing beads, which inter alia facilitate gripping of the writing instrument by its user.
Some writing instruments, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,245 (El-Fakir et al), are manufactured by application of three layers of materials, the first layer being that of a base coat of a dark colorant and wherein glitter particles made of iridescent mylar are used to provide a frosted appearance. The present invention is distinctly different in as much as neither a fist coat of a dark colorant nor glitters are used. In general many, if not most, of these prior art items require either a molded plastic surface which is uniform through the production of the instrument or a removable textured grip to achieve the desired textured surface. The textured surface assists a user in gripping the instrument. In addition, from an aesthetic standpoint conventional writing instruments usually carry designs through painting or paper wraps adhered to the barrel, without which the instruments cannot offer colorful designs for the instrument. These prior art designs, such as a painted finish or a smooth wrap generally do not assist the user in gripping the invention. The present invention offers a novel design and approach to alleviating such problems, which the available writing instruments do not offer.
Accordingly, there is a need for providing a writing instrument with a random or uniform textured surface through the adhesion of tiny glass, plastic, resin or foam (such as polystyrene) beads to the barrel of the instrument There is an additional need to provide a writing instrument with a reduced diameter barrel such that once the layer of adhesive is applied to the beads, the instrument will maintain the diameter of a conventional writing instrument. This will permit sharpening, in the case of a pencil, in a conventional pencil sharpener.
There is an additional need for an instrument which comprises beads applied to the surface of a writing instrument in a random fashion or uniformly encircling the barrel of the instrument The beads may be of the same color or of different colors. The colored beads may be arranged in specified pattern such as a stripe or other decorative pattern or design.
There is also a need for an instrument with a clear and transparent plastic or acrylic barrel which contains decorative beads within the transparent barrel
In addition, there is a need to provide a writing instrument with a novel design, that is pleasing to use and easy to manufacture.